Owen Paterson over the last few days has laid bare publically the argument he's clearly been pursing privately when he was David Cameron's Environment Secretary. In his view we should scrap the UK's Climate Change Act. Apparently he believes that global warming is man-made, his "issue" is with how we deliver it and specifically onshore wind farms. I'm not sure that really is the case.

Owen Paterson has served English farmers, taxpayers and, most of all, the wildlife he was supposed to protect, very badly indeed. Liz Truss would be well advised to use her experience from her time in the Education Department to learn from his mistakes.

So long, Owen Paterson: we won't miss you. You were truly the worst environment secretary for decades. With that act to follow, Ms Truss might be tempted to relax; hardly much to live up to. That would be a mistake. There's already a lot in her in-tray and a lot of mess to clean up from her predecessor...

n Uganda, where 30% of calories are consumed as bananas, a GM, wilt resistant banana has been widely promoted as an example of how GM could feed the world. Yet during a recent visit, farmers I spoke to said the GM bananas were inedible...

Last autumn, more than 1,800 badgers lost their lives in Somerset and Gloucestershire in the name of bovine tuberculosis control. Now the government-commissioned report by independent experts, who have studied the evidence, has shown our grave concerns to be justified.

The concerns about GM biotechnology are, it seems, similar to those engendered by nuclear accidents: after the immediate devastation comes the anxiety about the long term effects. The fallout associated with genetic engineering is involving us in a something which could be even more far reaching than radioactive pollution.

There was an odd reaction from the National Farmers' Union (NFU) at their Birmingham Conference this week to proposals for controlled floodwater attenuation in upland farms (and elsewhere); condemning such plans as "ludicrous".

The overarching theme of this blog is to show that better use of the skills and creativity of the UK advertising and communications sector would benefit society as a whole as well as business... But even I admit that, with all the creativity in the world, none of us could stop the floods which have dominated our media landscape.

Swathes of England are underwater, thanks to rain and flooding that has been linked by the Met Office to climate change. Yet our environment secretary, of all people, is a climate change denier who ignores the science and has slashed the number of people in his department working on preparing the UK for the impacts of climate change. For how long will David Cameron continue to have confidence in Owen Paterson?

Look beneath the surface and our rivers need help. Latest government figures show that just one fifth of our rivers are in a healthy ecological state. Over half of freshwater and wetland species are in decline and one in ten is on national red lists.

For many wildlife experts, scientists, veterinarians and local residents, the pilot badger culls in parts of Somerset and Gloucestershire over the last six weeks proved that shooting large numbers of free-roaming badgers was unsafe, inhumane and inefficient.

Aging Tory ministers might be in denial about the reality of climate change and the urgent need to tackle it, but students and young people aren't. We are increasingly aware of the dangers climate change poses for our future and that's why it should come as no surprise that the rising environment movement is young, vibrant and determined to play our part in tackling this huge challenge.

Cameron may have realised the depths of his troubles when he found out he wasn't just taking on one national treasure but two. As if badgers weren't beloved enough, Sir David Attenborough has joined a musical supergroup consisting of Brian May, Slash, Shara Nelson and others as they enter the charts this week on an anti-cull ticket.

The only scientists who are pro-cull are those on the payroll of government or the farming industry. Even the BVA's own vets openly attacked their organisation in the Independent last week, accusing them of bringing their profession into disrepute by the BVA's pro-cull stance.

About OWEN PATERSON

According to his website: "As Agriculture spokesman he became an expert on bovine TB and campaigned for the dairy industry. He travelled all over the North Atlantic to produce a landmark Green Paper on Fisheries. As Shadow Minister for Roads, he researched best practice and the latest ideas from Europe and North America.
"In July 2007 he was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and he tried to visit Northern Ireland every week, spending days with MPs and MLAs from every party. He has visited schools, businesses and community projects; and he has immersed himself in Irish history and the local economy.
"In May 2010 Owen was appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and was made a Privy Councillor. During the September 2012 reshuffle, he became the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs."
Source: www.owenpaterson.org/about-owen